What is the most fascinating prehistoric creature?
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M$17 Answers
The Horseshoe Crab (Limulus Polpyhemus)
Fascinating Facts:
Not a true crab, Related to Scorpions, Ticks and Spiders
Despite their scary look, they are not dangerous
Tail used as a rudder, and to help tip it back over if tipped upside down (for this reason, if you do pick up a Horseshoe Crab never pick it up by its tail because if it breaks off the animal will be helpless to right itself.
Two primitive compound eyes on top of its shell, other primitive light sensors on its body
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M$
These guys are from the Cambrian period, and appeared during the Cambrian Explosion. So yeah, LONG before dinosaurs these guys were swimming around with 5 EYES (some of them on stalks!), and measuring about 2.5" long. And that proboscis of theirs? Yeah, it was used like a vacuum to suck worms out of the sea floor. It also likely used its schnozz like an arm to cram food in its mouth, similarly to an elephant - except this guy had little poky spines at the end of his nose.
So this thing seemed to be a cross between a fish, a spider (the eyes!), an anteater, an elephant, and a Snork.
Making him extra bizarre is that he doesn't seem to fit into any of the Scientific classes. He resembles crustaceans in many ways, but is missing some key features. So alone he sits. Without a group.
And our friend, the Opabina is considered one of the greatest and strangest scientific discoveries from the prehistoric era to date.
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M$
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M$
Insects could fly long before reptiles.
A good contender, but...there is a healthy debate about what kind of 'flyer' this animal was...a true flight animal or perhaps (more likely) a glider...?
My vote is for ancient sea animals overall - much more diversity and in fact we've only just begun to discover many of the species that lived or are still living at great depths...
This is an interesting one. They have one giant long pinky finger that stretches to the end of their wings.
It's hard to imagine the actual size of one of these puppies.
Just think if they were around today, you might 'bump' into one while going fishing with a buddy.
They were the ultimate sea predator, hunting large whales in the vast big blue.
Nigel Marvin did a wonder show exploring what it might be like to encounter one of these apex predators.
TV show: Walking With Dinosaurs
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Advanced imaging and chemical techniques revealed that the 66-million-year-old "mummified" duckbilled dinosaur had two layers of skin, as do modern vertebrates, including humans.
Such a discovery was possible because the dinosaur's skin fossilized before bacteria had a chance to eat up the tissue.
It is "absolutely amazing to be able to identify organic molecules from soft tissue that belonged to a beast that died over 66 million years ago," said Manning, whose work with the fossil was partially funded by the National Geographic Expeditions Council. (The National Geographic Society owns National Geographic News.)
"It's certainly in my top ten all-time fossils.
national geograpic
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M$
I always was interested in birds and flight, and if the theories about archaeopteryx are correct, then it's intriguing for a number of reasons:
- First example of feathers, and the ancestor of birds
- A rare example of a species that is actually a transitional form between two quite different types of animal, dinosaurs and birds
- It is a big piece of the reason that we think birds *are* dinosaurs. It's amazing to think they never totally died out, and their descendents are still with us, as common as sparrows and pigeons
- Controversies surrounding the fossils are pretty interesting in themselves
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M$Here is the wikipedia page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_erectus
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M$
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M$
Oh yea.. Cleaner Shrimp are quite fascinating
What makes you think they would be prowling to sink their teeth into anything? Most animals have very specific prefered prey types, no matter how ferocious they look. Why would this one be different?
This quote from my source indicates a opportunistic style of feeding.
-quote-
Preserved stomach contents indicate a diet heavy on fish, but seabirds, sharks, plesiosaurs, and other mosasaurs also failed to escape Tylosaurus's lethal grip.
-quote
Fossils from at least two other species of this taxon have been found in Egypt and Pakistan. Basilosaurus averaged about 18 meters (60 ft) in length, and is believed to have been the largest animal to have lived in its time.3 It displayed an unparalleled degree of elongation compared with modern whales. Their very small vestigial hind limbs have also been a matter of interest for paleontologists.
Basilosaurus was highly elongated. It accomplished this through an unparalleled elongation of its vertebrae, and has been described as being the closest a whale ever came to a snake. It is also believed to have had unusual locomotion, compared with all other cetaceans; similarly sized thoracic, lumbar, sacral and caudal vertebrae imply that Basilosaurus moved in an anguilliform (eel-like) fashion, only vertically. Even more oddly, paleontologist Philip Gingerich theorized that it may also have moved in a horizontal anguilliform fashion to some degree, something completely unknown in modern cetaceans. The skeletal anatomy of the tail suggests that a small fluke was probably present, which would have only aided vertical motion. Most reconstructions show a small, speculative dorsal fin similar to a rorqual whale’s, but other reconstructions show a dorsal ridge.
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M$
wikipedia
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M$
Maybe their dangerous for us humans but I still wonder how it would have been if they're still existing.
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M$
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M$a pikaia is a prehistoric fish that has 1 large fin in the back and is long and narrow it looks like a worm
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http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-9qdCz9WOo4A/super_crocodile_fuhrer2u/
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
A short answer, but one that I agree with.
Because the question asked for a "prehistoric creature" and you are abusing the English language to call man a "prehistoric creature". Also, you gave a one word answer with no explanation. That's about as unhelpful as you can get.
One word was enough. I made it a one word answer for the impact.
Man is a creature, and man is prehistoric, that is, we existing before history.
I think that our own past is far more fascinating than any other creature. I find it difficult to believe anyone would not find our own past an unending source of wonderment.
And, as a person of Native North American heritage, I am always interested in the time before history and in the secrets of our past.
(You will recall I asked you to avoid me, albanian, I wish you would. Thanks.)
How in heaven's name can my answer be unhelpful? lol...
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M$
You left out one of the most fascinating things about them. They have blue blood. It's based on copper instead of iron, which shows it can be done.
I love the little things. An experience with the Horseshoe Crab is my first memory of a wildlife encounter as a 4 year old child on Nantasket Beach.
Good times.
Yes very amazing biological creatures, also certain properties in their shells are unique and can actually speed blood clotting and have been used in the creation of sutures (stitches) that can be absorbed by the body once healing has completed.
They have survived so long due to many adaptations - including the hard shell but also - they can go almost an entire year without eating!
http://www.beach-net.com/horseshoe/Bayhorsecrab.html
@albanian, the blue blood is cool - wonder if they are related to Prince William of Wales...